Brave New World of High School
by CNJ
Summary: Book One of a four book series I titled The BSC Legacy. The BSC members face new challenges when they start 9th grade & high school & go through the awkward changes of adolescence. Contains strong language & controversial issues.
1. First Crazy Day of High School

This story is when the BSC started HIGH SCHOOL! I work in pieces of _Friends Forever_ plots (which is a creation of Ann Martin) in my own story of their high school years, for instance, I have Mary Anne and Logan break up in April of ninth grade and Mary Anne house fire happens at the end of their tenth grade year. And you all know the drill from my other two stories that I'm working on about the disclaimers, etc, etc...

**The BSC Legacy - Book 1: Brave New World of High School **

_By_: CNJ

_PG-13 _

**1: First Crazy Day of High School **

**Kristy:**

I couldn't believe that tomorrow, we the BSC would be in HIGH SCHOOL. Ninth grade. Freaky.

"It is freaky that we'll be in ninth grade," Claudia stuffed peanut butter cups into her mouth at that Monday's meeting.

"I'm scared," Mary Anne added nervously. "All those new kids. This is one time I wish I wasn't so shy."

"I'm kind of nervous about it too," Stacey licked off a pretzel.

"Kind of nerve-wracking, but I'm a little excited," Abby put in. "I just hope the girls have the same sports as the boys or I'll sue Stoneybrook High for sex discrimination." We all nodded.

"I'm looking forward to high school also, even if I'm slightly nervous," I admitted.

"You, Kristen Amanda Thomas, nervous about starting in a new school?" Claudia feigned shock. We all laughed a little, loosening up some.

"Yep, me..." I took a deep breath. "I think we're all scared, so all of us have to stick together and let no one and nothing tear us apart." Looking around at my friends, I didn't doubt that we could make it through high school together. The big question was, how hard would it be? I guess we're as ready as we'll ever be...

* * *

**Stacey:**

Stoneybrook High was a ZOO that first morning! The hallways were twice as big as the halls of Stoneybrook Middle. We tried to stand close as we picked up our schedules and combinations for our lockers. We saw a sprinkling of kids we'd known from SMS, but the vast majority of kids were strangers.

Mary Anne and I were lucky enough to be in the same homeroom with a Ms. Buchwald, so we all wished each other good luck and headed off in our separate ways until lunch. Mary Anne and I headed down the corridor.

We were almost to our homeroom when we saw a row of guys, probably juniors or seniors watching us. I felt Mary Anne tense and we tried to ignore them as we kept walking.

"Well, well, what have we here but freshmen girls?" one of them jeered.

"What'd ya think?"

"Not babes, that's for sure," another guy taunted.

"Hoped the scenery would get better this year..." I realized what was happening and we stopped and stared at the guys. I was FUMING!

"What gives you the right to talk to us like that?" I asked grimly.

"Like what?"

"Do you know what sexual harassment is?" I barreled on.

"We were just..." the guys looked down.

"What if some guy did this to your mother or sister?" Mary Anne asked coldly. Bam. She got them where they lived. The guys looked at each other in embarrassment, then slunk off, mumbling apologies. Just then, we heard clapping behind us. I turned and saw a group of girls clapping and some of them cheered. "Right on!" "You told 'em!"

"Thanks..." Mary Anne and I looked at each other and I smiled while Mary Anne blushed.

* * *

**Mary Anne:**

Once Stacey and I got to our homeroom, we sat next to each other, still shaking slightly. I could feel my face still turning red and tried to relax. Once most of the kids got settled in, Ms. Buchwald introduced herself and welcomed us to Stoneybrook High.

The loudspeaker came on and the principal, Ms. Silverbein came on and introduced herself again just as she had done at last week's orientation day. I'd liked her immediately. She has dark hair that's slowly graying, looks to be around her early fifties, is slightly plump and seems like a warm person. She'd reassured as that she'd knew us new freshman would be getting lost a lot in the next few days and that the teachers wouldn't penalize us.

Later going over the rules of Stoneybrook High, she'd added, "Some of you might not like me because I also handle the discipline..." some kids had relaxed and chuckled while a few groaned. She'd smiled and told us, "I knew that would loosen you up."

"Welcome to Stoneybrook High School, all freshmen and new students," Ms. Silverbein told us now over the loudspeaker. She gave a short speech on how she hoped we could grow and learn here and things like that. Before clicking off, she reassured us that we would find our way around soon and that she understood how nervous most of the new ninth-graders were. A few minutes later, the bell rang to officially start our high school classes.

* * *

Five minutes after my first class and I was lost already! Try to stay calm, I reasoned. There's only two floors in here. The place seemed vast and wild with kids shoving around, rushing to their next class. I was trying to find my way to math. Room 270.

I headed upstairs, then saw another split in the corridors. Some big guy slammed into me. "Heyyy, watch it, little nerd!" he snarled before barreling on down the hall. Somebody else laughed while I struggled to keep my balance. Tears welled in my eyes and I fought them back. No way was I going to break down bawling now. I was going to keep de-chickening myself and find Room 270.

By slowly following the numbers on the wall, keeping close to that wall, I finally found it and sank into a seat, panting in relief. I wiped the tears from my eyes and took a deep breath. Most of the other freshmen looked bewildered and lost. A girl poked her head into the room. "Is this Lit I?" she asked.

"No..." several kids told her. Her eyes grew wide and she left. My heart went out to her.

* * *

**Kristy:**

Claudia and I were fortunate enough to be in the same first period math. We grabbed seats next to each other. So far we'd managed not to get lost...yet. Yet being the operative word here. I wondered how long our good luck would last. We had this class and history together.

"Gooood luck," I whispered.

"Could be worse," Claudia whispered back. "At least freshmen all have the same lunch." Thanks the stars above. It was a little while later that I almost collided with disaster. I had to use the bathroom after English and was afraid to ask a junior or senior. So I searched and found tile. Good! I thought.

But as I was going in, I almost barreled into a tall, skinny guy coming out. Oh...God! I'd almost walked into the BOYS' bathroom! I mumbled an, "Excuse me..." and looked anxiously around until I found the girls' room and made it in, my heart pounding.

* * *

**Stacey:**

On my way to fourth period, I got lost! I was trying to find my way to science when I found myself back at the math room. I'd gone in a circle, I realized, my heart pounding. I leaned on the wall, my breath shallow and tense.

Don't panic, I told myself. I closed my eyes, then opened them and looked at my schedule again. Room 221. Math had been in Room 270. So, logically, the corridor at the right with the numbers going down...I followed the numbers staying close to the wall. The odds were on the left; the evens were on the right. There, I found it! I came in, sat, and let out a gasp of relief.

* * *

**Kristy:**

We finally made it to lunch and got seats together. The cafeteria was humongous, almost three times the size the one at SMS. I felt like I'd run a mile race and I think the others felt the same way. Mary Anne almost wound up on the floor, but I shoved a chair under her right in time to avoid major mortification for her.

Abby flopped over, miming extreme exhaustion and that got a chuckle out of us. Abby's twin sister, Anna joined us and sat next to Abby.

"Looks like battle one is over," I mused as we began eating and exchanging _I survived my first morning in ninth grade_ stories. Stacey and Mary Anne told us about an incident on the way to their homeroom where a group of guys tried to comment on them and other girls going past and Stacey and Mary Anne told them off! Good for them! I reached over and we all whooped and hi-fived. Mary Anne blushed a deep red. Mary Anne is one of the strongest girls I know and Stacey's tough too.

* * *

**Abby:**

Surviving your first day in high school is a tough battle, but did you ever try to grope your way around classes when you lose your schedule slip? I don't recommend it. I thought I had the schedule in my purse, but when I looked after lunch, it wasn't there! "Ohhh, God..." I moaned, sitting down on a radiator and pawing through my books and purse.

I stood up, trying not to panic when something brushed against my sock and fluttered to the floor. The schedule! I grabbed it and clutched it, letting out my breath in relief. Next class, English. Room 112. I wound my way there and saw Mary Anne and Stacey.

"Finally three of us have a class together!" Stacey called and the three of us walked into class together and sat.

"Surviving?" I asked. Mary Anne and Stacey nodded.

"I've had to fight back tears twice," Mary Anne whispered.

"I lost my schedule before this class, but thank the stars I found it." I checked my wallet to see if it was still there. It was. It looks like I'm really going to like English this year with two of my best friends in it and the teacher, Ms. Fedders. She was really nice and seemed to understand kids.

After that class was over, we still had one more class to go. Mary Anne had gym, while I had German and Stacey had history. After the day was over, Mary Anne and I were the first at our lockers.

"I'm glad Ms. Fedders is the moderator of the Stoneybrook Beacon because I'm signing up for the newspaper," Mary Anne told me.

"I'm joining soccer," I opened my locker just as our other friends joined us. We talked a bit about what extra-curricular activities we'd join. Stacey said she was joining the Future Scientists Club and Kristy said she was trying out for soccer with me and Claudia said she'd sign up for yearbook.

* * *

**Mary Anne:**

I was almost done with my homework when Sharon came home later that afternoon after school. Dad would be home late that night, so Sharon and I ate dinner, just the two of us. She had a tuna pasta salad, while I had pasta with plenty of meatballs.

I'd called Dawn earlier and she'd gotten through her first day of high school at Vista. In a way, she was "broken in" to high school because last year when we were in eighth grade, the eighth graders at Vista Middle were moved to the high school building to alleviate crowding.

"So how did your first day at SHS go?" Sharon asked.

"Crazy," I let out my breath. "Stressful. Enlightening. Got lost. Almost cried twice. I think the halls today were mostly full of lost freshmen." Then I told Sharon about the incident this morning when Stacey and I fought back against those guys.

"Good for you!" Sharon crowed. She came over and hugged me. "You're growing so fast...soon you'll be a woman...independent...adult. I can't believe it."

* * *

**Claudia:**

"My girls are really growing fast," Mom commented at dinner that night. "Janine's a senior and Claudia's now in high school. Time goes so fast." Bizarre. I used to think time went slowly, especially when I was waiting for something. I can't believe I'm in high school either and Janine's almost in college. She'll be old enough to vote next year. Wow. We're entering a brave new era.


	2. Now That They've Survived Week One

_Disclaimer: _The Fab Five characters are a creation another teen series by Betsy Haynes, not the current author and of course the other BSC disclaimer stuff, etc...

**The BSC Legacy - Book 1: Brave New World of High School **

_By_: CNJ

_PG-13 _

**2: Now That They've Survived Week One... **

**Claudia:**

We've made it through our first week in high school and it was Friday night...the WEEKEND! First thing the BSC did was head to Aster and Dusker's in Washington Mall, this really cool place with food, video games, pool tables and all sorts of entertainment. A lot of the high school kids hang out there and eat. There are some adults and younger kids as well, but not as many. We managed to grab a table.

"This place is neat!" Kristy looked around as we ate. We saw a few Stoneybrook High kids, but most of the kids were from other schools.

"Hey, has anyone heard anything about Burkeview High?" Abby asked. "They're supposed to be our rivals in sports." We shook our heads.

"All's I know is that they're in Bridgeport," Stacey told us. Someone from SHS waved at me and I recognized Caitlin Giotti from my art class. I waved back, then jumped halfway up and motioned her over. She nodded, then slowly moved to our table through the crowd.

"You know her?" Kristy asked.

"Yeah...Caitlin Giotti," I told her. "Artist like me. She's in my art class and we're going to sign up for the yearbook next week." Caitlin reached our table and greeted us.

"Hiii..." the rest of the BSC greeted back. I introduced Caitlin and the BSC. She sat with us for a while. She'd gone to Crestpine Middle School and was also into sports as well as art. She told us that some of her friends from that middle school were now at Stamford High.

"You must miss them," Mary Anne said softly.

"Yeah, I do," Caitlin added. "I see them after school. There's seven of us and only two of us are here at SHS. I figure Latra and I can exchange yearbooks at the end of the year. She's going to join the yearbook at Stamford."

We talked a while longer about what we'd be joining before some of her friends did come in and she went to join them. It looks like there are at least five or six high schools in the viscinity of Washington Mall that come here. I could see from some of the sweatshirts or T-shirts that a lot of kids were from Stamford and Earhart Highs and there was a smattering of kids from Burkeview.

"Hey, I bet those five have a club or something like us," Kristy nodded across the room. Sure enough we could see a group of girls seated at a table near the video arcade. They sat close and talked like we often do.

I wondered what school they went to. Just then three guys came up and the girls moved over to make room for them.

I noticed on tall guy with dark hair put his arm around a tall, slim girl with medium-brown long wavy hair. Something about the way they sat close told me that they were a SERIOUS item and had been for a long time.

Another girl with long auburn hair was laughing and looking between the two other guys. Across the table from her, a girl with bright red hair kind of shook her head and sipped her soda. Next to her, a girl with long dark blond hair had a book and showed it to the redhead from time to time.

Next to the blond, a girl with chin-length rather spiky dark hair stood up halfway and waved across at someone near the front, then cupped her hands over her mouth and called something, then laughed. I smiled. I noticed that she was wearing bright wild clothes...kind of like what Stacey and I like to wear. I wondered if she was an artist.

"Think they baby-sit like us?" Mary Anne asked.

"Maybe," Stacey took a sip of her soda. "Or maybe they run errands or volunteer."

"I bet there's other baby-sitters' groups like ours," Kristy ventured. "Kids like us run a lot more clubs that help others than adults realize." Maybe we should ask if they baby-sit or something and if they do, we could exchange ideas.


	3. Extracurriculars

**The BSC Legacy - Book 1: Brave New World of High School **

_By_: CNJ

_PG-13 _

**3: Extracurriculars **

**Claudia:**

I am sooo excited about being on the yearbook, _Visions_. Caitlin Giotti and I both made ninth grade class photographers! We meet on Thursday. Mary Anne signed up for the SHS Beacon. I hope she got in. On Monday, Abby and Kristy made the soccer team and on Tuesday, Stacey made the Future Scientists Club.

"Claudia!" Mary Anne came toward me after the meeting and from the smile on her face, I knew she was officially on the staff. "I made it! Ninth grade reporter, one of three."

"Me too. Ninth grade photographer!" We hugged and congratulated each other.

* * *

**Mary Anne:**

I like being on the _Beacon_. I'm usually shy, but I find that I enjoy interviewing people one-on-one. I also like to write. I also like Gloria Getterstein, the head editor. She's very warm, open, and has a dry sense of humor.

And of course, there's Ms. Fedders, our moderator. At our first meeting, Ms. Fedders suggested an article the freshmen. It was Gloria who suggested that my first article be about lost freshmen.

"Tell me about it." I smiled ruefully. "The first day, I was groping my way through the hall to math and some big guy slammed into me and I almost cried."

"Ohhh, no," Gloria gave me a sympathetic grin.

"Maybe I can interview other freshmen and get their nightmares and how they survived their first day of high school."

"Good idea." Gloria grinned.

* * *

_Around week three of ninth grade_:

**Kristy:**

Abby and I love being on the soccer team. The other girls there are great. You know what else is great? At our games, the girls' teams get as much support as the boys' teams. I know that makes Abby thrilled.

We have cheerleaders at our games just like at the guys' games. Last week, Stacey toyed with the idea of trying out, but ditched the idea and is now in the Future Scientists Club. Abby told me she was glad.

"Cheerleading is demeaning to girls and women," she told me as we changed after practice. Outside, we met Mary Anne and Claudia.

"What's demeaning to girls?" Claudia asked.

"Cheerleading," Abby told her.

"In some schools, it's turned into a look-good popularity contest," Mary Anne added. Then she grabbed a tissue out of her backpack and for a second, I thought she was going to cry. Her eyes watered andher mouth and brows contorted. What's wrong? I wondered...then she sneezed. I then remembered that she was getting over a cold.

"Gezhundheit," I said. Her eyes closed and she sneezed twice more.

"I thick..." Mary Anne wiped at her runny nose. "I got this cold frob Jen..." she cleared her throat and struggled not to go into another sneezing fit. I remembered how she'd written in our BSC notebook that Jenny Prezzioso had had a cold last week. As Mary Anne was blowing her nose, Stacey came streaking up to us.

"Heeeeey! Waaaait up!" she called. She caught up and in between breaths, told us that there was definitely life on other planets.

"I know..." Abby laughed. "Klingons, Vulcans...maybe there might even be life on Mars."

"Not in this solar system," Stacey said as we continued walking. "But we in the Future Scientists Club are convinced that earth isn't IT in terms of life. Think about what we learned in history. You know how it was in Europe before the Europeans discovered the States and the Native Americans living here? And the Native Americans didn't know about the Europeans?"

"I know!" Mary Anne added. "The two continents each thought theirs was it for humanity! Stacey, you're brilliant!"

"Yeah!" I put in, finding the whole idea exciting. "Maybe in a couple of hundred years, we'll be living on other planets light years away and people from other planets could wind up living here."

"Could you imagine the BSC becoming worldwide, then UNIVERSE-wide?" Abby asked. Wow! What a thought!


	4. Athletics, Acne and Other Effects of Ado...

**The BSC Legacy - Book 1: Brave New World of High School**

_By_: CNJ 

_PG-13_

**4: Athletics, Acne and Other Affects of Adolescence**

  


**Stacey**: 

All of us BSC came on Saturday to Stoneybrook High's first soccer game to cheer Abby and Kristy on. The fall weather was perfect for a game; it was cool and crisp now and the trees were definitely starting to change. On our way to the game, we pointed out colorful trees and since it was clear, they looked gorgeous against the blue of the sky.   
"Wait a couple of weeks when they peak," Claudia told us once we got to SHS. The Stoneybrook Barracudas were playing against the Talbot Tigers. We were happy that the stadium was crowded and lively. Sure enough, Kristy kicked off and we were caught up in the excitement of the game, jumping up and down and whooping it up. Claudia and Mary Anne stood up and asked if anyone wanted food or drinks. Most of us did, so they went down to the goodies stand.   
"Heeey, look..." Anna pointed. "Aren't they Burkeview students?" I looked down and sure enough, there were a few Burkeview students there. I recognized one the the girls from that fivesome group we'd seen at Aster and Dusker's a few weeks ago, the redheaded one. Just then another girl ran up to her and I recognized her as another one of that fivesome, the one with the bright clothes and short dark hair. We never had gotten a chance to ask them if they babysat. They were with a couple of other girls I didn't recognize. Just then Claud and Mary Anne came back with sodas, chips, and tacos. The game was on halftime break.   
"Isn't it great to support two of our friends?" Mary Anne asked, handing me my taco.   
"Yeah..." I nodded. We saw Kristy and Abby talking with their heads together near the edge of the field. Kristy whispered something to Abby that made her laugh. Then they both walked toward the locker room, grabbing two of the balloons floating nearby.   
"Wonder what they're up to?" Claudia asked. We didn't have too long to find out. Kristy and Abby came running out into the field. Kristy blew a whistle and most of the audience turned her way. Then she and Abby began a rendition of _Take_ _Me Out to the Ball Game_ in squeaky, helium-induced voices that made most of the audience, including the BSC laugh.   
"THANKS, EVERYONE!" Kristy squeaked as she and Abby bowed dramatically and left the center of the field.   
"Those two are a riot!" I laughed. Kristy and Abby are hilarious! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

**Claudia**: 

You are not going to believe this, but I found two zits on my cheek the first week in October. At this Friday's BSC meeting, we all noticed each others' faces. Well, we're fourteen now, I noticed. Stacey has acne on the whole left side of her face. Kristy has it all over her chin.   
"We're GROWING," Abby sang, holding up a lock of her curly hair. She has a scattering of pimples on her cheeks. Abby ran a hand over her hair, then showed us a greasy hand.   
"Me too," Mary Anne lifted her straight bangs and showed us a burst of acne on her forehead.   
"Mom told me that you should never scratch or pick at zits," Stacey told us. "Or you can get these pitted scars that might never go away." Mary Anne's eyes widened and she pulled her hand away from her forehead and brushed her bangs back down, which I could see were greasy also.   
"It's happening," I intoned. "The great...growing up phenomenon." We all laughed. Just then the phone rang. I picked it up and it was Ms. Arnold asking one of us to sit for her twins on Saturday afternoon. Abby took the job and we continued pigging out and joking about acne ravages and oil spills from hair.   
"Seriously..." Mary Anne asked. "I wonder when it clears up for good?"   
"Janine had acne on her right cheek for her freshman and sophomore year," I remembered. "It wasn't severe. She's seventeen and it's been gone for a year and a half."   
"Two years," Stacey pretended to faint.   
"I think it's different for different people," Kristy interjected. "Sam had a few pimples for only a few months, then they just vanished for good."   
"Some kids NEVER have any zits," Abby added. We're on our way, I thought, looking around. I knew that adulthood was getting closer every day. Ninth grade and acne was one of those steps toward adulthood. 


	5. New Feelings, New Complexities

Remember, readers, I have Mary Anne and Logan's big breakup in April of 9nth grade, so this is before their breakup. Also, this chapter has slightly explicit sexual content, so be warned... 

**The BSC Legacy - Book 1: Brave New World of High School**

_By_: CNJ 

_PG-13_

**5: New Feelings, New Complexities**

**Kristy**: 

Shannon, Stacey, Logan, Mary Anne, and I got the the huge party near my house at around eight. Sam, who'd given us a ride, peeled off in the direction with a bunch of juniors and seniors. Probably to flirt with girls, I thought. First we stood, talking some and mostly watching the others milling around and some dancing. The living room was sort of a dancing room while the food was in the kitchen. I could tell there were no parental units around just by the wild feel to it. As we headed toward the kitchen to get food, we smelled cigarette smoke and saw a few cans of beer.   
We grabbed sodas and filled plates with things like pretzels, chips, and doritos.   
"I've never been to a party with beer," Stacey told us.   
"Me either," I said.   
"Hiiii!" Gloria Getterstein, Viola Holtz, and Tara Bloke came in to get food.   
Gloria's a senior and Viola and Tara are juniors.   
"Good you could make it!"   
"Hey, we're glad we were able to come," I smiled at them. "Too bad Claud, Abby and Anna couldn't make it."   
"Claudia Kishi, right?" Tara asked. We nodded. "I'm in the yearbook with her and she's one great artist..." We chatted a while. Gloria's in the journalism club with Mary Anne, so those two talked mostly to each other about the Beacon. Mary Anne had been nervous about going to a party with a lot of kids we didn't know, but now she seemed to be relaxing. Just then a soda can flew into the kitchen and smacked against the wall opposite of us and clunked down to the floor.   
"That Laurie Angler..." Viola pointed and shook her head. "She loves attention." We glanced over and following her gaze, we saw a tall, skinny girl with a tie-dyed T-shirt, a mohawk haircut, and five or six chain belts dancing wildly up and down the hall to the music.   
"Heeeey, Gloria!" she called. "You're with that baby-sitting group?"   
"Yeah..." Gloria waved her hand dismissively.   
"I wonder maybe if she's insecure..." Mary Anne asked.   
"Don't mind her," Gloria said. "She's in my history and Spanish class and usually she's cool and calm." I could see that Laurie had had a little too much to drink already as she danced back down the hall. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

**Mary Anne**: 

The music was loud. Logan and I stayed in the kitchen while the others went out to mingle. I don't like dancing in front of others, so Logan and I slow-danced in the kitchen and occasionally kissed.   
"Hey, the moon's full," I whispered, turning off the light. We looked out the window. Soft pale bluish light wafted into the dark kitchen. We kissed some more and listened to the others talk, dance, run around, get drunk, and laugh. Someone squealed; another person belched. Logan and I pressed close. My heart was pounding. I could feel his heart beating too as we stood close. God, we're growing. It was the first time I'd ever had this feeling...kind of tingly. It was strange, pleasurable, and startling. Our hands were snaking up each other's shirts. I felt a jolt, a pleasurable kind run through me as I felt Logan's hands brush my breasts, which are _finally_ growing. We were getting close to...   
"Shit, looka Alan imitating Elvis..." someone laughed right outside the door. I guess that fact that Logan and I were in the kitchen where somebody might walk in on us and the fact that we didn't have any rubbers with us stopped us from going all the way. We kissed one last time, then pulled slowly apart, then rejoined the others. Sure enough, there was Alan Gray, Cokie Mason, and Pete Black.   
"Look who was puked up but Mary Anne and Logan from a tree..." Alan sang and I had the feeling he was a bit tipsy. We ignored him and wandered around until we found the others in the BSC. Kristy and Bart Taylor were dancing very close and at one point their hands disappeared under their shirts. They did several songs, then the party was starting to get really wild, so we decided to head home. Several kids were doing unstable handstands, three couples were making out wildly on the couches, and Alan was swirling around strumming an imaginary guitar and doing a really bad imitation of Elvis. I even glimpsed Grace Blume dancing wildly with some older guy who looked like a senior. We found Sam and grabbed a ride back home.   
"Quite a party, huh?" Sam asked.   
"Yeah..." we agreed.   
"You could actually SMELL the beer," Kristy added.   
"Just as long as they're no fight or anything," I added. Our first high school party. It was a different ball game from middle school. We were moving up within the ranks. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

**Kristy**: 

I glanced over at Mary Anne several times during our Monday meeting, wondering if she and Logan had done _it_ yet. They'd been in the kitchen an awfully long time on Saturday night and when they came out, they looked rather flushed. After a client call, Mary Anne must have sensed my curiosity because she mentioned that she and Logan had come close to doing _it_.   
"Thought so..." I grinned.   
"They do have the supplies in the school nurse's office," Claudia put in, tossing M&M's into her mouth.   
"Really?" Abby asked. "They have rubbers and the pill and stuff?"   
"Not the pill; you have to get that from a doctor usually," Claudia told us. "But they do have rubbers."   
"You've been there?" Stacey asked.   
"Yeah," Claudia nodded. "Mary Anne, if you need some, I can give you some of mine."   
"Thanks..." Mary Anne nodded. Her face flushed again. "I don't know if Logan and I are...ready to go all the way yet." We talked back and forth, wondering how would we know if we were ready for _it_ yet.   
"I think we should all take a pledge to make sure we have protection if any of us go all the way," Kristy announced. "I know we all have big dreams for our future and I know I'm not ready for a baby yet, cute as they are." We all did.   
"And disease," Stacey added. That too. We really were getting closer to the complications of adulthood every day. I had the feeling this year was a turning point for all of us and we had officially entered true adolescence. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

**Abby**: 

Looking like a real twenties suffragette on Halloween night, I bounded out the door with Anna, who had dressed as Marcia Clark and headed over to the Monster Mash dance at school. Halloween was still almost the same as middle school with dressing up and all and it was fun having a break from the adjustment of growing up for the night. Once we were there, we met the other BSC members in the gym and exchanged things like "Hiii!" and "You look great!" and "Where did you find that get-up?" Kristy was dressed as a football linebacker ready for the kill; Claudia looked spectacular as a waterfall with a rainbow complete with tinsel. Stacey made a terrific Statue of Liberty. She joined us, holding her torch and reciting, "Give me your tired your poor..." Even her hair was green! Shannon was a ghost from the movie _Beetlejuice_, while Logan was some kind of medieval character. Mary Anne looked wonderful as a sixties hippie.   
"Peace!" she greeted us, waving the "peace" hand gesture. "Good will and love to all humanity."   
"Peace..." we all added, then all of us giggled. She'd tucked her bangs in a long wig that came to her waist and had a flower painted on one cheek and the peace sign painted on another. Jessi and Mallory were there. Jessi was a jockey and Mallory was a twenties bloomer. "We're from the new roaring era!" Mallory joked when she saw me and my costume.   
The dance was rather exciting. And nice and spooky. We knew Dawn would be enjoying this night because she LOVES ghosts stories and scary movies. A shoe flew across the floor that seemed to came from outside and somebody screamed, "A ghost!"   
"That's silly," Kristy called. "Ghosts don't exist."   
Mary Anne's dark eyes were wide. "I've seen one."   
"Where?" I asked.   
"Well, I didn't actually see one, but once I was home studying alone and the doorbell rang. No one was there and when I came back up, this little flower was there! No one else was home and I screamed I was so scared." Mary Anne gulped and glanced nervously from Logan to Kristy.   
"Maybe it blew in the window," I suggested.   
"The window was closed," Mary Anne's voice shook.   
"Did you ever see the movie 'Always'?" Jessi asked. Some of us had.   
"I think some form of ghosts exist, but you can't see them or hear them. Kind of like in that movie." Jessi told us.   
"It's entirely possible," Stacey added. "Maybe when somebody close to us dies, the soul kind of goes on on our heads."   
"I sometimes think Mimi's spirit comes back to check on us from time to time," Claudia put in. Mary Anne was starting to get teary-eyed, so we went to get something to eat. It was after the dance was over and we were heading home that we saw something in the bushes a small dark shape. Mary Anne stifled a squeal and clamped a hand over her mouth, but the shape stood up and it was none other than Susan Perry holding up a shoe.   
"Here it is..." she grunted. Then she saw us. "Oh, hi, you all."   
"So that's where the shoe went!" Kristy laughed.   
"Yep," Susan put it on. She was dressed as a civil war soldier. "Some people thought a ghost was haunting the dance. Well, happy Halloween, what's left of it," she called as she headed home.   
"You too..." we called. Then slowly we headed home ourselves, enjoying the chilly fall night. Maybe we could have some of the apple cider if there was any left over from the kids in the neighborhood trick or treating. 


	6. Teacher Trouble

**The BSC Legacy - Book 1: Brave New World of High School**

_By_: CNJ 

_PG-13_

**6: Teacher Trouble**

**Mary Anne**: 

I checked the bathroom mirror one more time. Nope. The stain from my tattooed purple flower was still on my cheek. Using soap, scrubbed at my cheek until it felt tender and was red, but no luck. Oh...great! I thought. Swell, cool...great. I sighed. Just then, I heard giggling and behind me was Cokie Mason with Toni Marks.   
"Oh, Mary _Anne_," Cokie gasped. "Did some senior beat you up?"   
Then she and Toni dissolved into giggles. again. I didn't know what to say. Looking in the mirror, it did look like someone had slugged me on the side of my face.   
"No," I told her flatly. "It's a tattoo." With that I spun on my heel and left the bathroom. Getting into homeroom, I dug idly through my purse.   
"Ooo...Mary Anne!" Leigh Raxer stared at me. "Did somebody hit you?"   
"No..." I felt my face redden. "It's left over from the Halloween bash..." Leigh looked puzzled. "See I was dressed as a hippie and painted this purple flower on my cheek and some of the paint is just...stained on my face."   
"I see..." Leigh tried not to laugh as she sat. Just then Stacey came in, wearing a huge baseball cap with her hair tucked under. I stifled a giggle. Stacey is not a hat person.   
"Why the hat?" I whispered.   
"Want to know?" Stacey lifted it a little and showed my the green of her normally honey-blond hair. Oh, I mouthed in sympathy. "I'm sooo embarrassed!" Stacey whispered. "Green hair for a week or two! I just wanted to be Ms. Liberty on Friday, not for weeks."   
"Some people are going to think I got punched," I whispered back, showing her the purple stain on my cheek. Stacey nodded. Our post-Halloween embarrassing marks. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

If Ms. Brauman says, _Are you sure this calls for that_ or hovers over my shoulder in our home "eck" class one more time, I'll scream! Logan and Claudia are in the class too. Good thing or I'd go crazy. I don't like confrontation, but Ms. Brauman is a control freak and it's getting on my nerves. I think she senses that I don't like to cook. Well, things were about to take a turn for the worse. We'd brought in recipes for any kind of fall dish. I'd written Grandma and she'd sent me a wonderful recipe for a broth with vegetables in it. Well...I don't think Ms. Brauman liked it. She looked at Verna's recipe, then down at me, making me feeling like an ant on the floor.   
"What kind of broth is this with peas and squash in it?"   
"It's from my grandmother...from Iowa," I told her feeling kind of defensive.   
"I see..." she nodded, then kind of said in a low voice,   
"Midwest..." I hoped she wasn't insulting my grandmother or she and I were going to have a few words! And I did....after class.   
"Ms. Brauman..." I called. "Were you putting down my grandmother?" I asked her in a low cold voice.   
"No, I wasn't, Mary Anne," She was tall and peered straight down at me as if I were an ant on the floor. "Your homework didn't seem very well thought out. Maybe you weren't clear to your grandmother or she misunderstood you, being from a different part of the country..."   
"I'd appreciate it if you left my grandmother's background out of this!" I snapped, growing angrier.   
"Ex-_cuse_, young lady, but you are out of line!" Ms. Brauman glared at me. I clenched my fists, deciding whether to continue this battle. "I must tell you, your assignment in this class haven't been exemplary and I don't like your mentality in this class."   
"Oh, I know." With that, turned and fled from the room, angry tears welling in my eyes, knowing that I'd blown it. All of my life I'd _never_ had any trouble with teachers and had made mostly A's. And now thanks to this stupid class, it was probably wrecked! "Damn..." I muttered, walking fast down the hallway. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

I think Sharon and Dad sensed that I was upset that night at dinner. Sharon stroked my hand, pulling my hand away from my mouth. I hadn't realized that I'd been biting my nails. I noticed I'd been biting them several times this year again. Thinking of the fight with Ms. Brauman bought tears to my eyes.   
"Care to talk?" Sharon asked. Dad looked at me with concern also. I shrugged.   
"Did you have a fight with your friends?" Dad asked.   
"No..."   
"Logan?"   
"No..." I wiped away a tear that had spilled down my face. "Actually, my home ec. teacher."   
"What?" Sharon asked. Taking a shuddery breath, I told them about the horrible scene in the class. "I kind of acted stupid..." I was bawling hard now. "I felt like she was insulting my grandmother and got so mad at her and picked a fight with her."   
"Sounds like you and Ms. Brauman clashed in style." Sharon told me.   
"Think I should go talk..." Dad wondered. Sharon shook her head. So did I. Now that I was here at home and talked about it, I could see how I'd contributed to the problem. I think Ms. Brauman felt that I was attacking her.   
"I think I can handle this..." I told them. "I...don't think I did well in the class. So don't be surprised if I bring home...not a good grade." I shuddered. I just hope she doesn't decide to flunk me.   
"Keep it up..." Sharon gave me a comforting hug. "We know you're a good student. And this class is one semester only." I nodded, feeling better.   
"Who wants dessert?" Dad asked. I did. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

I sort of apologized to Ms. Brauman for yelling at her. She accepted, although she didn't apologize for her part. "So you see where you were out of line," was her response. "Accepted." I bit my lip, determined not to get into any more trouble with her for the rest of the semester. I ended up with a C- in the assignment and the class. My first bad grade. I felt my face flush.   
"It could have been worse," Claudia whispered.   
I nodded, but muttered, "Damn..." under my breath. Cokie Mason flunked and she gave a noisy disgusted snort.   
"Ex-CUSE ME?" Ms. Brauman glared at her.   
"Nothing!" Cokie slouched down. 


	7. Newly Charged

_Author's note_: This chapter has explicit sexual content, so be warned and enjoy! 

**The BSC Legacy - Book 1: Brave New World of High School**

_By_: CNJ 

_PG-13_

**7: New Charged**

**Claudia**: 

Two interesting things happened that first and second week in November under one event related to our getting older. First, that weekend was our monthly sleepover. All of us BSC have a sleepover the first Friday or Saturday of each month. We take turns of whose house it will be at. Last month was Kristy's house; this month it's at Stacey's house. We went to a movie before heading to Stacey's that first Friday in November. We got the usual food and sat. The movie itself was good, but not great. Kristy went to get more food and came back with a candy bar and another coke.   
"You'll never guess who I saw making out in the back row!" she whispered.   
"Who?" I asked, curiosity peaked.   
"Cokie Mason with some guy who looked about twenty." Kristy grinned and the rest of us giggled softly. "I mean, they are all over each other and everything." We'd seen a lot of kids making out lately. Once earlier this week, I saw a couple near the back of the school, making out behind some bushes, trying not to be seen, but some other kids did see them and snickered. It was kind of a funny sight. I thought of Josh and me. We sometimes studied together, even though he's in eighth grade at Stoneybrook Middle and I'm in high school. We'd often sat close as well. I knew Mary Anne and Logan were also getting close as well. Maybe I could lend her a rubber if she needed it. I'd picked some up from the school nurse. I'm so glad today's high schools are waking up to the fact that, yes, teenagers do have sex, have always had sex, and will always have sex and do need info and protection. There are still some adults around who are blind to that and think that we should be kept in the dark about important issues like this and denied protection equipment. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

**Kristy**: 

"I wonder if Cokie's doing _it_ yet," I wondered out loud later that night at Stacey's. We'd played a fast round of the card game Uno and we now lying down on our sleeping bags in a circle on the floor.   
"Who knows?" Abby shrugged.   
"I guess it's between her and her boyfriend," Mary Anne told us. "It's a very private thing. Logan and I..." she cleared her throat and nervously looked around at us.   
"I know how it is," Claudia reached out and put her hand on hers. "It's a hard decision. It's like there's no easy way to tell if you're both ready to go all the way or not."   
"It's more than just avoiding pregnancy and VD," Stacey munched on a pretzel, looking thoughtful. "It's more of how you're going to feel afterward, not just the day after, but a year from now."   
"Good point," Mary Anne nodded. "I couldn't have sex with someone unless I really had feelings for them."   
"Me either," Abby nodded. We were all quiet a minute, thinking about the new changes of high school. Interesting how middle school seems much simpler, yet back then, we thought it was more complex than elementary school. I guess that's a huge part of what growing up entails. I looked around at my friends, who are growing up the same way, yet in different aspects. Our bodies are physically growing; I've noticed I'm getting a bit taller now. And all of us still have acne. All of us senior BSC now have our periods. I smiled softly as I remembered that last summer, Mary Anne was the last of the senior BSC to get her period and had been embarrassed about it. Our two junior members, Jessi and Mallory, who are now in seventh grade, were here for the summer and we had all been talking about periods at our August sleepover. Mary Anne had blurted out something like she did have hers, then went into the bathroom later that night and cried. She finally got hers that last week in August and by her reaction, we knew it was her first and she cried and fessed up. We felt bad about making her feel awkward and apologized to her. Two more years and it'll be Mal and Jessi's turns, I thought as our conversation moved on to other things. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

**Mary Anne**: 

I don't know if it's because we're becoming more aware of sex in general with our getting older or if it's us kids becoming more in tune sexually, but at least three times the following week, I couples petting in quiet corners of hallways or back behind the high school near the trash dumpsters. The trash area stinks of course, so hardly anyone wants to go back there unless they want privacy. Some kids go back there for a smoke, but some go back there for a quick make-out session if no one's having a smoke back there. The _Beacon_ adjourned early that Thursday and so did _Visions_ so after Claudia and I walked home, Logan came over. Just as he got there, it started to rain really hard, so we ran into the barn, getting soaked anyway. We took off our wet jackets and sank down into the hugest pile of hay just inside the door.   
"Thank God for this barn," Logan said softly.   
"Yeah..." I whispered, listening to the pleasant patting of rain on the barn roof. It's not really adjacent to our old farmhouse, but it's used for things like bicycles and storage for stuff we don't use often. Dawn used to scare me with stories of how our house was haunted. I still sometimes shiver thinking about it, especially the secret passage right outside her bedroom...the room she uses when she visits from California, where she lives with her dad and stepmom. "The leaves are almost gone from the trees now...did you notice it's like a huge carpet on the ground of fall colors...isn't it pretty?"   
"Yeah..." Logan nodded. "In Kentucky, we never had these bright colors...they would fall off in late November and would be duller colors. And it never was cold this early...it often stayed warm until Thanksgiving, sometimes into December."   
"Dawn called last week," I told him. "It's similar out there in the Southwest...their leaves change, but it's more like a burnt orange and brown. She says it's still in the high sixties, low seventies out there." We continued whispering little things back and forth, our bodies leaning closer and closer in the hay...then we slowly stroked each other and I started feeling that swell feeling again. We kissed several times, then longer kisses came, almost merging our lips and tongues, our hands in our shirts. Oh, God, he's becoming a man, I realized, a fresh tingle running through me. And I'm getting closer to being a woman! I don't know how long we petted like that before laying back again, panting.   
"Are ready for...?" Logan whispered.   
"I...don't think so," I whispered. "Not physically; we don't have protection. You don't have...?"   
"No..." Logan shook his head. "We'd better not take things further until we're sure."   
"Yeah..." I agreed. I, for one, much as I love babies, was _not_ anywhere near ready to have one or even deal with pregnancy. And I knew how strict Logan's parents are, especially his dad. Oh, boy, would his dad kill him if he even suspected we were doing this! His parents don't even let us in his bedroom; they insist that we stay in the living room. It's interesting, because my dad used to be on the strict side before he married Sharon, but now he's loosened up and is treating me more like my age. I smiled wryly as I remembered up until midway through seventh grade, he used to make me wear my hair in these braids. We lay there, whispering things back and forth to each other for a while longer. Sex was still on our minds, but we knew we weren't ready to go all the way yet, even if we had protection. Logan told me that he along with his family were going to Kentucky to visit relatives for Thanksgiving.   
"Dawn's coming here for Thanksgiving," I whispered. "So are Granny and Pop-pop." Granny and Pop-pop are Sharon's parents. "I hope maybe Grandma Baker can come." I really did. I love her so much. When my mom died back in my infancy, I lived with her and my grandfather in Iowa until I was almost two. Then Dad came to bring me back to Connecticut and there was a fight between them and I suspect it was painful for Grandma to give me up. They didn't speak again until I was almost thirteen. Grandpa then died and Grandma wanted to see me again, so I went out there and I'm so glad we renewed our bond. Grandma is very sensitive like me. I smiled as I remembered that we both did a lot of crying during that visit.   
"It's getting late..." Logan whispered, sitting up suddenly.   
"Wha...?"   
"It's getting late and I have to get home," Logan told me, rebuttoning his shirt.   
"Yeah..." I pulled my blouse back down. I gave him one last kiss, watched him leave, then lay back down in the hay, still feeling rather dreamy. My heart was still racing a little, so I gave it time to calm down before finally hauling myself out of the hay and going into the house. It was still drizzling, but I didn't mind, getting wet again. I hung up my jacket, then decided to start dinner for Sharon and Dad since they wouldn't be home for another half hour. I popped a vegetarian lasagna in the microwave for Sharon, the put together a rice and meat mix for Dad and me. As the food warmed, I peered out at the last of the fall foliage. What a beautiful sight, I thought. The leaves on the ground looked like a huge shiny, multicolored carpet in the rain. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

"You look like you're feeling better from last week, honey," Dad told me as we ate a while later.   
"Yeah, I am feeling better," I knew he was referring to last week's fight I had with Ms. Brauman. I still felt a twinge of shame and pain seeing that C- on my report card earlier this week. Almost all A's, one B, then that awful C-. That one bad grade stood out like a black mark on an otherwise clean record.   
"Thanks for starting dinner for us," Sharon stroked my back. We ate in companionable silence for a while, then Dad and Sharon talked about their work and things going on in the world. I half-listened until Dad mentioned a case in Wisconsin that he'd read about where a teenager was in a court battle over whether her parents had the "right" to know whether she was sexually active.   
"I'd hope that she would feel free to come to her parents at her own free will," Dad went on. "I just don't think it's a good idea for a teenager to be forced into telling her parents everything. That just makes them become sneakier."   
"Hey, that's right," I blurted out.   
"I agree," Sharon told us. They looked over at me a minute, then Sharon asked, "Mary Anne...do you feel free to talk to us about personal things?"   
I thought about that for a long minute. I think I did. "I do, I guess," I nodded. "You guys are understanding and supportive." I remembered last year how hard it had been for Dad to let me go see Grandma and how understanding he was about me wanting to know more about my natural mother, even thought it was painful for him. "You were great about me and Grandma seeing each other again." I knew a lot of parents wouldn't be. Some parents would have flat out refused to let the kids see their relative. Maybe Logan's dad... "I wonder about Logan's parents, though."   
"Logan..." Sharon's brows drew together in a puzzled frown as she and Dad got up to make coffee for themselves.   
"Logan came over and we lay in the barn for a while..." I thought over this afternoon that had taken us farther than we'd ever been. "We got pretty far physically," I confessed.   
"Did you have actual sex?" Sharon asked. It was matter-of-fact, not shocked or anything like I know some parents get at the thought of their kids' budding sexuality.   
"No, but we came kind of close," I told them as they sat. "We didn't have any protection and I think both of us knew we weren't ready to cope yet with the emotional impact of actual sex yet, so we're holding off. And Logan's parents, well you know how they are, especially his dad. He'd kill us both if we did it and he found out."   
"He would," Dad sipped his coffee. "I think Logan's family is from a very conservative, almost religious community in the south, so that's where it stems from. And you're right to think over the consequences, not only preventing pregnancy and all, but the psychological and how his parents would react." He reached over and stroked my arm. "You both showed maturity."   
"You know, you can come to us any time you have questions," Sharon said as we munched on cookies.   
"And we won't lecture, judge, accuse, or criticize," Dad added. We all laughed a little. I felt lucky to have these two as my parents. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

**Claudia**: 

"I think some parents make a huge deal over their kids' sexuality and act like it's some awful shameful thing," Kristy told us at Friday's BSC meeting between calls.   
"A lot of it is movies," Stacey put in.   
"Movies?" Abby asked and we all looked at her, puzzled. "Movie producers are the most open about showing couples having sex."   
"What I mean is that whenever it's teens doing it, there's sometimes a scene where the parents catch them and start screaming bloody murder like the teenagers committed some awful crime or something."   
"Yeah..." I nodded. She did have a point. "And of course a lot of parents in real life react that way."   
"That's part of why I put off doing it with Logan," Mary Anne said softly, her cheeks slightly red. "I know what his parents, especially his dad is like. His dad doesn't care for me as it is and I just shake to think about his reaction if he ever found out that we'd even petted, let alone _think_ of having sex."   
"Part of it stems from the fear that we'd ruin our lives by getting pregnant," Stacey added.   
"Speaking of pregnancy," Abby put in. "You know what pisses me to no end? When some parents have a double standard. They overreact to a daughter's sex life, yet don't bring it up with a son. Sure, we girls are the ones who get pregnant, but who is halfway responsible?"   
"A lot of it is sexist attitudes," Mary Anne told us. "Some people still feel threatened by female sexuality which represents freedom for women and independence from men. Some rigid backwards thinkers can't deal with that."   
"Yeah..." I nodded. Just then, the phone rang and we took a call from the Hsus. Mary Anne was free Saturday afternoon, so she took the job.   
"It's hard to believe some people are so backwards that they can't think of women being competent," Stacey put in.   
"We're proving them wrong," Abby grinned. "I'll never forget how you saved Timmy Hsu's life last summer, Mary Anne."   
"Thanks," Mary Anne blushed as she recorded the job in her secretary's notebook. Last June, we'd taken a first aid course and Mary Anne had been scared nearly out of her mind. But when she and Dawn were babysitting by the pool and Timmy was drowning, Mary Anne had plunged in, pulled him out and given him CPR. Without her heroic action, he would have died.   
"They'll be extinct soon," Abby said.   
"What will?" I asked.   
"The dinosaurs who think of women as inferior." We all laughed at that, then another call came. Yeah, bit by bit we were moving forward. 


	8. Tale of Two Groups

_Disclaimer_: The usual stuff on the BSC characters that they belong to Ann Martin and all...and in addition, the characters Laura McCall, Melissa McConnell, Tammy Lucero, and Funny Hawthorne belong to Betsy Haynes, not the current author. So do the groups Fantastic Foursome and Fabulous Five and so does Wakeman Middle School. And so do Jana Morgan and Randy Kirwan and the other characters who are part of the Fabulous Five clique...so enjoy this part where the BSC meets the Fantastic Foursome, who are BIG rivals of the Fabulous Five. 

**The BSC Legacy - Book 1: Brave New World of High School**

_By_: CNJ 

_PG-13_

**8: Tale Of Two Groups**

**Abby**: 

After that Friday's BSC meeting adjourned and we lined up several sitting jobs for Saturday and the next week, we grabbed our jackets and headed out toward Aster and Dusker's. Anna was with us, so she joined us. Jessi and Mallory would be coming for Thanksgiving next week and we couldn't wait to see them again. We decided to eat, then head to a movie.   
"I can't believe Thanksgiving is less than a week away," Claudia told us.   
"Who's doing what?" I asked as we started to eat.   
"We have a bunch of cousins and three aunts, two uncles and my other grandmother coming," Kristy told us. "And that doesn't count our step-relatives."   
"Speaking of steps..." Mary Anne put in. "Dawn is coming next week."   
"Alll riiight..." several of us chimed in. Dawn is our honorary BSC member. I know Mary Anne misses her deeply. Dawn lived here in Connecticut for a while, then moved back out west last year.   
"I have an aunt and three cousins coming," Stacey added.   
"We're going over to my aunt Peaches' house," Claudia put in. "I'm really looking forward to seeing Lynn. Lynn is Claudia's one-year-old cousin. We ate and talked until movie time came. We then grabbed our things and headed toward the theater.   
"All in favor of _Bridges Over Rivers_ say aye," Kristy announced as we stood by the growing line. She along with me said "AYYYE!" "How about _Joy Luck Club_?"   
"AYYYYYE!" the others vouched for that one, so _Joy Luck Club_ won out. As we stood in line, we spotted a couple of kids we knew.   
"Don't look now, but there's Cokie with that guy again," Claudia told us in a low voice. Kristy grinned. I also saw Emily Bernstein with two friends I didn't know. We waved and she waved back. I spotted a couple ahead of us who looked vaguely familiar. The guy was tall, had dark wavy hair and smiled at the girl occasionally. The girl, who was almost as tall as the guy, was leaning on the guy and her long, wavy, medium-brown hair cascaded over his arm. Once in a while, they kissed in a smooch.   
"The ultimate couple," a dark-haired girl in front of us said, noticing our curiosity.   
"You know them?" I asked in a low voice.   
"Yeah, I go to Burkeview High with them," The girl turned toward us. "That's Jana Morgan and Randy Kirwan. They've been a couple since sixth grade." She smiled at us. I noticed that she was with two other friends. Then her dark eyes widened in recognition. "Heeey, you're that Baby-Sitters' Club from Stoneybrook High!"   
"We are," Kristy grinned proudly.   
"Hey, wow, is it true that you guys sort of have a mini-business and parents call you there for baby-sitters?"   
"Yeah," Claudia grinned. We told her a little bit about our club and introduced ourselves.   
"I'm Tammy Lucero," the girl introduced herself. By then, her friends were looking over at us. "And these are my friends Melissa McConnell and Laura McCall."   
"Hiii," we all said. Laura was tall and had a sandy blond braid that started from the top of her head, a lot like the braid Claudia had tonight. Melissa was lighter blond and rather quiet. She gave us a tight, nervous smile and I wondered if she was shy. Tammy told us a little about herself, including the fact that they'd had another friend named Funny Hawthorne who'd moved away last summer. They also added that they called themselves the Fantastic Foursome, but didn't do stuff like baby-sitting.   
"Oh, you must miss her," Mary Anne said softly.   
"We do," Melissa spoke up. As we talked, we got closer to the booth.   
"We made it at the right time," Kristy muttered, looking back at the growing line behind us. The line now almost reached the bookstore at the corner. "Hey, Tammy," Kristy directed back at her. "You know that couple you told us about up there? Jana and Randy...we've seen Jana with a group of four other friends at Aster and Dusker's a few times...are they a club like us? Do they baby-sit or anything?"   
"We were wondering if they had meeting and stuff," Claudia put in. "Maybe we could exchange tips and ideas if they do."   
"Yes and no," Tammy laughed. "They are a club, but they don't baby-sit or do anything worthwhile like that." I saw Laura glance over at Jana and Randy and smirk. "They call themselves the Fabulous Five and are big deals at Burkeview...well they're trying to be. They were huge deals at Wakeman Middle. Jana and Randy won the most Popular Couple at Wakeman. Then there's her best friend Beth the one with the hair in spikes. She's always acting wild and dramatic and wears these weird combinations of clothes.   
"I know who that is," Claudia put in. "Is she an artist?"   
"Not really," Tammy told us. "She's into dramatics and wants to be an actress. Then there are Katie Shannon, the redhead who's an extreme feminist. She doesn't even like it when guys open a door for a girl."   
"Hey, so am I," I told her. Katie sounds like my kind of girl. Tammy rolled her eyes at Laura and Melissa, then told us about Melanie Edwards, who was "the biggest flirt at Burkeview High" and Christie Winchell, who was a "brain."   
"Hey, look out for those girls," Laura put in as Jana and randy bought their tickets and went in. "They were our enemies at Wakeman and just want to take over Burkeview now." After they got their tickets and went on we looked at each other, then bought our tickets, stopped to get candy bars, sodas, and other good junk food, then headed into theater 7.   
"I think we should be careful when we meet any of those two groups," Mary Anne whispered. "They could try to butter us up to side against the other group. It made me kind of nervous feeling the competition between the two groups."   
"I suspect they're both chasing popularity," Kristy leaned over. "And want to cut the other group down." Just as the lights turned down for the movie, Cokie came in with her twenty-something boyfriend and sat five rows behind us. She saw us and gave us a smirk similar to the one Laura had given Jana and Randy. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

**Kristy**: 

Isn't it bizarre how after a movie ends, almost everyone tries to stuff themselves out of the exit and cram up the doors? Well, tonight was no exception. We and two adult couples and another group of teenage friends were the only ones who stayed put to wait out the crowd while the others squashed themselves through the door. Then, once the crowd thinned out, we headed toward my house. Two of my cousins were in town and were there. We sat in the den and talked. Shannon Kilbourne joined us a few minutes later. Brenda, one of my cousins, had a put lizard that she'd brought with her and showed us.   
"It's cute!" Mary Anne cooed. And it was a cute thing. It was small, smooth, and had a marble-like green color. Its tiny forked tongue licked out at us as we stroked its silky scales.   
"Her name's Gretchen," Brenda told us. Gretchen lowered her eyelids and peered at us sleepily. "Wanna go to bed, honey. Time for bed; you're tired..." Brenda talked to Gretchen as if the lizard were a little kids as she took Gretchen back to the cage. Just then, someone knocked at the front door. Shannon opened it and three girls from her school peered in.   
"Ohhh, there you are," one said. "Got the cards?"   
"Yeaaaah..." Shannon sighed, then waved goodbye at us and headed out with them, I guessed back to her place. We talked a while longer about Thanksgiving and about the two groups from Burkeview.   
"Who are they?" Linda, my other cousin, asked. "Why do they call themselves the Fantastic Fivers are something?" We all looked at each other and shrugged.   
"Sounds like a popularity competition," Brenda added. "At my high school, we had three cliques like that." Brenda's eighteen and in her first year of college, so she'd been through the gamuts of high school life. "The three cliques were always vying for the top spots in plays and stuff like that. I think one of the groups called themselves the Supreme Girls are something like that." It was almost midnight, so my friends headed home. Brenda offered Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey a ride home. As I got ready for bed, I thought over the group dynamics of school, I was glad the BSC wasn't competitive with any other group in school like some other groups are. 


	9. Missing Composition

**The BSC Legacy **-** Book 1: Brave New World of High School**

_By_: CNJ 

_PG-13_

**9: Missing Composition**

**Stacey**: 

Monday, Tuesday, then...Thanksgiving break is here! Monday was a little odd in several ways. I walked to school with Claudia and Mary Anne. SHS is a bit closer than SMS to McLelland Court, so Kristy, Anna, and Abby don't have to take the bus the way they did in middle school. Kristy had gotten there early and since the bell wouldn't ring for another fifteen minutes, we hung around by a tall skinny tree and talked. All around us, small groups of kids did the same thing. It was chilly, but not freezing. Near the dumpsters, I could see Randy Greenhold and two other guys passing around a cigarette. I think the smell from the garbage there camouflages the cigarette smell in case a teacher happens to come by. Alan Gray hung around, hoping to get a puff, but I think Randy told him to get lost, because Alan slunk off, pouting. Just then, someone came running up and I could hear her gasping. It was Abby and she hugged Kristy. We were surprised to see that she was in tears.   
"Abby!" I said, alarmed. "What's wrong?!"   
"What's..." Kristy looked bewildered and hugged her back. "Heyy, hey, Ab, what is it?"   
"I'm j-just..." Abby sniffled and pulled away, wiping her eyes. "Glad you're all right, Kristy."   
"Why wouldn't I be?" Kristy asked. Mary Anne handed her a tissue and stroked her.   
"It's...on the way here...I saw the car...it was so totaled...smashed in this horrible accident and it looked like the Junk Bucket...I was so scared it was your brother and you...I know he gives you a ride sometimes...I was afraid it was you until I saw the tag number."   
"Wow...that's scary," Mary Anne said softly. Abby became calmer as we talked more. Abby and Anna's dad died in a car accident when they were nine, so I knew it was especially frightening for Abby to see a wrecked car.   
"I'm just thankful it wasn't your brother's car, Kristy," Abby blew her nose.   
"Me too," I put in as the first bell rang and we headed to our lockers. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Mary Anne, Abby, and I have the same sixth-period English class, so after lunch the three of us go to our lockers, change books, then head to MS. Fedders' room together. I was glad I'd finished that big composition on Friday night. Over the weekend, I'd shown it to Mary Anne to check and she said it was perfect. I dropped my other books in my locker, pulled out my English and Russian books, closed my locker, then turned to listen to Abby talk about the soccer game the SHS Barracudas played against Burkeview High the second Saturday in November. We'd almost won, but had lost by one point. I was glad that Abby seemed herself again, her scare of this morning fading. "...was a good move on Kathy Maski's part, that play, but I guess Joyce Warren anticipated that move and topped it. Oh, well, she's sharp, so we gotta look out for her the next game we play with Burkeview!" Abby finished with a laugh and closed her locker. Just as Mary Anne closed her locker, her eyes widened a little and I turned instinctively, wondering if there was someone sneaking up on us. There wasn't...but only Cokie Mason squirming past us toward her next class, bumping into me a little. She brushed my English folder, gave me a smirk and Mary Anne a dirty look and darted on, pushing against a cluster of juniors, who gave _her_ dirty looks. Just then the bell rang and the three of us rushed to English. I know Cokie's not crazy about the BSC and Mary Anne's a little nervous around her.   
"I thought she was eavesdropping on us," Mary Anne whispered.   
"Don't mind her," Abby added. "We weren't discussing our deep, dark secrets." But Cokie had been after something else... 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

**Mary Anne**: 

When Ms. Fedders was collecting our essays, I noticed Stacey looking nervous as she emptied her folders onto her desk.   
"I know it was here, " she whispered. She was close to tears by the time Ms Fedders noticed. "I had it here before class...and it's gone."   
"It's okay..." Ms Fedders soothed. "Since you've always had your homework on time, I won't hold this one against you."   
Poor Stacey! She worked so hard on that composition and I think it was stolen! After class, Abby and I tried to comfort her. By then, she was crying hard. I told Ms. Fedders that I'd checked her essay and Ms. Fedders promised not to mark her down for it. As we parted and headed toward our last classes, I met Kristy on the way to gym and told her what had happened. "Oh...God," she gasped. We sat at our gym lockers to change. We were quiet as the other girls talked.   
"....I asked Cokie what she was writing..."Toni Marks' voice sailed across the floor. "She had another paper, I think, somebody else's and was copying it. I pitched a note at her and she wrote back, _An essay for English_. _They're Grace Blume's notes_. Cokie has English last period. I almost laughed and Ms Quebec almost caught us. Cokie got all defensive and hid the paper under her folder."   
"Cheating as usual," another girl added. "Probably Grace loaned her the essay so she could copy it. Cokie's too lazy and irresponsible to do her own homework, so she's always bumming off Grace."   
Kristy and I heard this and stared at each other. _Stacey's comp!_ I mouthed. We didn't want to let on what we'd overheard. _Cokie was right by us before English_, I mouthed. Kristy nodded, a determined look on her face. _We have to catch up with Cokie and get the paper back_, Kristy mimed.   
"What are those two doing, pantomiming signals?" Toni pointed at us and laughed.   
"Who knows?" another Sara Trentwood added. "They're from that baby-sitters' group and are all weird." Kristy and I ignored them as they laughed and ran out to the gym. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

**Claudia**: 

Kristy and Mary Anne told us what had happened in Monday's BSC meeting.   
"Don't worry, we'll get it back," Mary Anne put an arm around Stacey, who was gloomy and quiet. Several times during the meeting, Stacey looked close to tears. Kristy glanced at Stacey as she took a call from a Ms. Lark, and I got the feeling she'd just come up with one of her famous ideas.   
"I think you have one of your famous ideas..." I told her.   
"Hey...just a minute...Kristy paused dramatically. "And I do." We all chuckled a little and even Stacey managed a weak smile.   
"Yup...you guessed." Kristy looked around at us. "Mary Anne...Abby...Grace is in your English class, right?" Mary Anne and Abby looked at each other, then nodded.   
"So...tomorrow, we huddle near them, looking natural, then act as if we heard Cokie was cheating off Grace again."   
"How is that going to..." Abby asked.   
"Grace will hear us," Kristy grinned. "Then she'll demand to know what's going on with Cokie. Then Mary Anne and Abby can have a nice talk with Ms. Fedders, who will ask to see Grace...and Grace, who doesn't want to get in trouble will spill it on Cokie."   
"Swell idea..." I nodded.   
"Just remember...Kristy told us. "Act normal...natural! This meeting is..."   
"Adjourned!" we all finished, then got up to head home. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

**Stacey**: 

Tuesday we still weren't hopeful I'd get my stolen essay back. I could barely eat breakfast and several times Mom felt my cheek to see if I was sick.   
The BSC met at the fence with a plan. We found Grace Blume and Cokie by the door.   
"So..." Kristy said pointedly, looking at the rest of us. "Toni was telling us that Cokie's cheating off Grace again." Sure enough, Cokie heard and looked over at us. Grace looked at her, than at us.   
"Oh, God!" Mary Anne gasped in fake shock. "You know...Grace could get into trouble too..."   
"Just what are you talking about?" Grace came over to us.   
"Ignore them..." Cokie whispered. "It's...English...something I borrowed."   
"Oh...right!" Grace nodded. "My study guide...my notes...you know how hard Ms. Fedders is..." Laughing, they walked off. I felt my heart sink as my friends and I looked at each other in defeat. "Shit..." Kristy muttered. "I'll have to come up with a better idea."   
Kristy did have a much better idea by lunch. Mary Anne remembered much of what I had written in that comp. Not word for word, but phrases here and there and the basic gist of most of it. Grace was in my English class too. So Grace couldn't know what was in that essay unless Cokie had hooked class to show it to her in two minutes!   
"Cool," Abby nodded. She, Mary Anne and I ate quickly, then headed to Ms. Fedders' room early. We told her what Mary Anne and Kristy had overheard in the gym locker room and could maybe she ask Grace and Toni, who were also in our class what was going on. Ms. Fedders listened soberly, then nodded. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The bell rang and we scurried out of our last classes to our lockers. The halls were absolute pandemonium for a few minutes as kids made mad dashes for their lockers eager to start their Thanksgiving vacations. Mary Anne, Abby, and I talked about our T-day plans as we edged toward our lockers, trying not to bump into anyone and avoiding being crashed into. I was feeling a bit better, knowing what a help my friends were, even if that composition was never found.   
"BYYYYE, have a happy Thanksgiving! Caitlin Giotti called to us as she raced out of SHS along with a chunk of other students.   
"Happy Thanksgiving!" we called back. We stood still and let the rushing crowd thin out until just a few kids lingered in the hallways. Then we opened our lockers to put away our books and get our jackets.   
"You know..." I told my friends as the rest of the BSC caught up with us. "I'm lucky to have you all as my friends."   
"Oh, Stacey!" Mary Anne's eyes filled with tears and her face reddened. "That's sweet..." She fumbled for a tissue, dropping her notebook. I grinned and gave her a hug.   
"Stacey?" Ms. Fedders was coming toward us with her jacket and her purse. I turned, dropping my honors trig book on Mary Anne's notebook. Ms. Fedders was smiling. "Good news. I've found your composition...and the culprit."   
"Oh, thank you, Ms. Fedders," I sighed in relief.   
"It worked," Kristy whispered.   
"Are you all right, Mary Anne?" Ms Fedders asked. "Goodness, you're crying..."   
"Oh, yes, I'm all right," Mary Anne wiped her eyes.   
"Well, have a happy and safe holiday, girls," Ms Fedders smiled at us and walked on out. The hall was almost empty by now, so we gathered up our things and headed out to...T-day vacation! 


	10. Bittersweet Thanksgiving, Part 1

In my story, this is where about the time that Logan and Mary Anne start having SERIOUS trouble (my version of the countdown to their breakup)...enjoy! 

**The BSC Legacy **-** Book 1: Brave New World of High School**

_By_: CNJ 

_PG-13_

**10: Bittersweet Thanksgiving, Part 1**

**Dawn**: 

"I can't wait to see you, Mom," I told my mom that Tuesday afternoon when I called her from California. I was already packing for tomorrow's flight to Connecticut. I also couldn't wait to see Mary Anne and Richard as well as my Connecticut friends.   
"Me either," Mom's voice quavered a little and she cleared her throat.   
"Just so you know..." I lowered my voice. "Verna called and said yes she got her ticket and I'll be meeting her at the airport tomorrow. Mary Anne doesn't suspect anything, does she?"   
"Not a thing," Sharon told me. "And that's a feat because she is one perceptive girl who misses almost nothing." We both laughed. It was lucky that Verna managed to get a ticket to a flight from Iowa to arrive in Connecticut at two on Wednesday afternoon. I'd be arriving from California at one-thirty and Verna and I would meet. It was to be a surprise to Mary Anne because she is so kind-hearted and the dearest, dearest stepsister that has ever lived. It had been my suggestion, but last year in eighth grade, she had surprised Mom by arranging my flight.   
"Hold on, she just got here..." Mom said suddenly.   
"Hi, Dawn..." Mary Anne's voice came over the phone.   
"Hi, Mary Anne!" I greeted.   
"It's so good to hear your voice!" Mary Anne gushed, then sniffed a little. "I'm counting the hours, minutes when I'll see you."   
"We..." I stopped myself. Close! "Me too. Me too." There was a pause and I was afraid I'd accidentally let a little of the cat out of the bag about Verna. I thought fast. "I thought Jeff was coming, but he still wants to stay here with Carol and Dad."   
"Yeah..." Mary Anne said softly. She sounded a little sad. "I just..." she paused again. "I just...I'm going to miss Grandma. If only she'd been able to get a ticket." Mary Anne sounded so sad I almost gave the surprise away...but didn't. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

**Mary Anne**: 

Tuesday night, after I'd talked to Dawn and told her how sad I was that Grandma couldn't make it, but was happy that Dawn at least could, Logan and I went out to eat. He'd be going away with his family for Thanksgiving to visit relatives in Kentucky. We went to Pizza Fest and had just started to eat when we saw three kids from the journalism club, Kim Weston, Tim Hune, and Renee Weng. They waved and came over to talk to us. I introduced them to Logan and him to them. We talked for a few minutes. I tried to include Logan into the conversation by bringing up the sports article in this month's Beacon and making sure they all knew each other at least by name. But I could see that Logan was getting bored and impatient. At one point, he rolled his eyes and became quiet, then got up abruptly, muttering something about using the bathroom and headed there. I tried to act like nothing was wrong, even though I was embarrassed. Eventually, we would down our conversation and they went to another table to eat. When Logan finally came back, I began to feel angry. Why did he act bored and jealous? I wondered as our order came.   
"Is the latest breaking Stoneybrook special report over?" Logan asked with a drop of sarcasm.   
"What?" I dropped my fork on my plate.   
"They sure didn't mind interrupting us."   
"Logan..." I was a little stunned. "I tried to get you into the conversation, but you were the one who acted bored and walked off. You know, the teams are in the paper..."   
"Yeah, I know," Logan retorted. "And so are you getting wrapped up in that Beacon...just like you're getting more wrapped up in the BSC so we hardly have time together as it is. It seems like that's all more important than me..."   
"Oh, Logan, go to hell!" I snapped. We stared at each other, so shocked that we couldn't speak for two minutes. I could not believe I actually said that! We silently finished our pizza. I could barely swallow. I hate tension and fighting. "I'm...sorry, Logan," I managed to get out, fighting back tears.   
"I'm sorry I got on your case," Logan apologized back. "I had no right. It's just that I was feeling jealous." We talked quietly, trying to smooth things over. I think neither one of us wanted to part for Thanksgiving on bad terms. The acute tension faded, but there was still light tension between us. We kissed without much warmth, then parted. As I got ready for bed, I thought over tonight. This has happened before...Logan becoming resentful of the time I spend on other activities besides him. He has his sports teams and I have the journalism club and the BSC. I've never been jealous of the time he spends on sports. So why was he jealous of my involvement with the school newspaper? I went to bed, remembering the time last year that we'd temporarily broken up over this very issue. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

**Dawn**: 

I glanced at my watch on Wednesday afternoon as I waited at the airport. Good. I'd told Mom and Mary Anne to come at two-fifteen. Sure enough, people poured out of the two 'o clock flight from Iowa and eventually...there was Verna.   
"VERNA!" I yelled waving at her. She looked around, a little bewildered, then spotted me.   
"Dawn!" she called and we hugged.   
"They should be here in fifteen minutes." I told her. "Oh, won't Mary Anne be surprised!" Verna and I went over to the luggage belt and grabbed our bags, then wave through the crowd and tried to find a place to sit, but it was too crowded. It seemed like half of Connecticut was here with family and friends.   
"We already got a little snow last week," Verna told me. "It's already winter in Iowa." I nodded and thought about out west where it was still around seventy degrees, but the trees had changed. It's really pretty the way they light up in burnt orange, mahogany, and brown against pale green cacti. Oh, there...I knew the threesome in the distance was Mom, Mary Anne, and Richard. I waved. They wove through the crowd and saw us.   
"Oh, Dawn!" Mom cried.   
"Mom...Mary Anne...Richard!" I called as we headed toward each other with arms out.   
"Dawn!" Mary Anne's eyes welled up. "Oh...Dawn! Oh...Grandma!"   
"Mary Anne, darling, it's so good to see you!" Verna's dark eyes welled up and they both burst into tears and hugged. Verna's very sensitive like Mary Anne. Mom and I hugged.   
"Operation Surprise successful," I told Mom.   
"It's wonderful seeing you too, sweetheart." Mom's eyes were damp..   
"How are you, Dawn?" Richard hugged me too. "You've grown another inch..."   
"Hello, Richard," Verna wiped her eyes, one arm still around Mary Anne as we started out of the airport.   
"Hello, Verna," Richard and Verna seemed a little awkward and I saw Mary Anne glance between the two of them. Richard then looked down at Mary Anne and added, it seemed for Mary Anne's benefit, "It's good to see you again." Then Verna reached over and hugged Mom.   
"Thank...you," she whispered. Once we got home, Mary Anne and I went up to her room and talked for a long time. I updated her on the latest happenings at Vista High and with my California friends.   
"So, when is Carol due?" Mary Anne asked about my stepmom Carol's pregnancy.   
"Late April, early May," I told her. Odd that I'm going to have another brother or sister this spring. I knew she and Logan had gone out the night before and I asked how it went. I don't think it went well, because Mary Anne tried to smile, but her brows puckered into this tense frown with a small vertical line between them. I think since Mary Anne joined the journalism club, Logan's been jealous. Mary Anne didn't come right out and tell me this, but I gathered from his reactions to whenever she brought up the Beacon. It seems that when some of the kids from the journalism club came over to talk, Logan got all huffy about it. It reminded me of the other time when they'd had serious problems back in eighth grade when he was becoming too possessive and tried to hog up all her free time. They'd temporarily broken up over it, but re-united a month later. Now I wondered if he was trying to take over her time again, trying to pressure her into giving up her free time for him. If that's happening again, Logan has some growing up to do or he could lose Mary Anne!   
"YOOOOOO-hooo!" a voice called from downstairs. "Girls...do you want to eat out tonight?"   
"Hey, Granny and Pop-pop are here!" I jumped up, happy to see them again. Mary Anne relaxed and got up too and we headed downstairs. It was great seeing them. Sure enough, we headed out to eat at a new Vietnamese place which was almost out in the rural area of Stoneybrook where they live. 

**Mary Anne**: 

It's so great seeing Grandma and Dawn again! After I'd talked to Dawn about the terse exchange Logan and I had Tuesday night, I felt better. I wasn't expecting Grandma, but Sharon and Dawn decided to surprise me. After we got back from dinner, Dawn and I went back upstairs, talked and played Uno upstairs. Grandma and Dawn's grandparents talked in the living room. As Dawn and I were playing, I became aware that it was quiet in the living room. Then I heard low voices arguing.   
"...._You_ left her with me after Alma died," Grandma was saying emphatically. "Then a year and a half later, you hired this lawyer and had her taken from us!"   
"Verna..." Dad sounded tense. "I tried to call you when she was five and you were the one that hung up on me..." I cleared my throat uncomfortably, hoping Dawn wasn't hearing that. But that was wishful thinking, because she could hear as well as me.   
"Are you all right?" Dawn asked. I nodded, fighting back tears, my stomach twisting into a knot. What a long strange evening it was. We were all a bit tense by the time we went to bed. Granny and Pop-pop were spending the night with us and sleeping on the sofa bed in the living room. Pop-pop tried to relieve the tension by joking around. "So goes the Spiers' great traditions of feuds. "   
"Dad!" Sharon told him. "Just...shut up!"   
"What?" Pop-pop asked when Dawn's grandmother, Verna, and Dad gave him a big LOOK. "Sorry..." he muttered. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

**Dawn**: 

Mary Anne and I both like to sleep in on non-school days, but on Thanksgiving morning, I woke up early to my own surprise. Mary Anne was still asleep, so I was careful not to wake her as I got dressed. I was reading a _Goosebumps_ book when Mary Anne slowly stirred, then sat up, her dark eyes bleary.   
"Hi..." I whispered, surprised to see her up before ten. She groaned softly and clutched her stomach. I hoped she wasn't still upset about the argument between her dad and grandmother. "Are you all right?" I asked.   
"Ohhh, it's here again," she whispered. I looked down and saw what she meant when I noticed a small red splotch on her nightshirt.   
"Need a tampon?" I asked, heading for the bathroom.   
"Yeah...thanks," Mary Anne nodded. I went into the bathroom, got the necessary, and brought it back.   
"Know how to put one in?" I knew she'd only started her period last August. Mary Anne nodded.   
"This is only my second time," she told me once she got it in. "I'm still not regular."   
"It took me a while to get regular too," I told her. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

**Mary Anne**: 

I had the feeling that this was going to be a long Thanksgiving. I slowly got dressed, fighting cramps. I flushed as I remembered how embarrassed I'd been to be that last of the BSC to get my period.   
"Feel all right enough to go down?" Dawn a while later.   
"I guess..." Might as well face the day. We headed down. Dad and Grandma were civil and by noon, all of us were getting the meal ready. I could feel tension between Dad and Grandma. I could also sense tension still lingering between Sharon and Pop-pop. Sharon and Dawn put together sweet potatoes and the vegetarian dishes that they liked while Dad, Granny, Grandma, and I got the turkey ready. Almost everyone chatted on about everything from international relations to the environment to pets, trying to lighten up the atmosphere. Grandma made the stuffing and bit by bit, handed it to us. She was mostly quiet like me and I knew she was still upset over last night. As she handed over the last bit, her eyes met mine and both of our eyes filled up. I think she knew I'd heard the argument and was silently saying how sorry she was about everything...long ago and last night. Once the food was ready, and we were getting ready to sit, I saw Grandma's eyes filling up again and her mouth contorted as if she were about to burst into tears. I reached over and held her hand and her tears seemed to recede...until we were seated and Dad, Sharon, and Grandma couldn't decide who should carve the turkey.   
"You may as well, Verna," Dad told Grandma pointedly. "Just as you wanted to take over before." Grandma winced, then fresh tears welled in her eyes.   
"Oh...Richard...let's..." Her mouth contorted and quivered again. I couldn't stand it anymore and burst into tears.   
"Stop...grow up...all of you!" I pleaded. Grandma started to cry for real and Dad and Dawn's grandparents and my dad looked stricken and contrite.   
"Oh, Mary Anne, we're sorry," my dad came over and we hugged. I could tell he felt bad for his part in this fight.   
"Can you forgive us?" Verna sobbed, hugging me also. "For yesterday...and long ago?" I thought it over and saw Dad and Grandma look at each other and could see that they were mutually calling a truce. I nodded. Grandma then really wept.   
"It's okay...it's okay..."I soothed her. Dawn handed us tissues. "I forgive you...it's all right." The tension evaporated; things felt almost normal again and we sat and started to eat. We went on talking and joked around, managing to even laugh again. Grandma seemed to feel better. I think Dad and Grandma hadn't forgotten, but the anger was gone and I was relieved...and thankful. 


	11. Bittersweet Thanksgiving, Part 2

_Author's note_: Some controversial issues appear in this section, just a warning. Enjoy! 

**The BSC Legacy **-** Book 1: Brave New World of High School**

_By_: CNJ 

_PG-13_

**11: Bittersweet Thanksgiving, Part 2:**

**Abby**: 

It was soo good seeing Gram Elsie and Grandpa again for Thanksgiving! Mom's cousin, Gwen, was there too. Anna and I helped our mom and grandparents get the meal together, then I ran outside with a couple of my cousins to fool around in the leaves. It was just getting dark out and the sky turned a beautiful shade of sapphire blue, then faded into dark blue in the chilly fall evening.   
"Girls..." Mom leaned out the door. "Time to eat."   
"Coming..." I called and we got up and headed inside. Anna and I talked among my cousins, most of who are older than us while Mom, Aunt Judith, Gwen and my grandparents talked on the other end. I'm not sure how, but the conversation turned to their youth, at least Mom and Gwen's.   
"...always felt I had to look out for you, Rachel," Gwen was saying as we wound our dinner down. The turkey looked like it had had its day and was falling apart from exhaustion, so Gram carried it into the kitchen and put it away, then Grandpa followed. "You were always wanting to change the world for the better. I think of the time you got involved in the anti-war marches in college and I worried nonstop that you'd be hurt."   
"It was worth the risk, since that war was wrong," Mom took a piece of pumpkin pie that Gram handed her. Grandpa brought out a pot of tea and set it on the table. Gram passed out more pieces of pie and my cousins, sister and I dug in even though we were stuffed even more than the turkey had ever been.   
"But what good came out of it?" Gwen sipped her tea. "You nearly were caught in that riot in 1973 on campus when the protest got out of control."   
"That was the police," Mom told her. "The march was peaceful; it was the police that caused the trouble by spraying us with the tear gas."   
"Not to mention bullets." Gwen put in. "Oh, Rachel, what if you'd been killed?"   
"Just a few. No one was shot."   
Listening to this was fascinating. Mom had told Anna and me about some of the seventies marches she'd been involved in since she went to college in the early seventies late in the Vietnam era and early in the second wave of the feminist movement. She even has pictures of herself where she wore the black armband in protest of that war.   
"Mom, weren't you also in a group protesting about the treatment of women in the peace movement?" I asked.   
"Yes, I sure was," Mom reached over and stroked my hand. "The girls...women were stuck making the armbands and the men got to prepare and make the speeches. We didn't think that was very fair, so we fought that. It took a lot of push on the part of us women, but gradually it changed once the guys saw that we weren't going to back down."   
"Way to go, Mom," Anna grinned. I knew Gwen meant well, but was reluctant to get involved in things like movements and things that were risky, but changed this world for the better. I thought of all the times our BSC got involved in certain causes and helped out around Stoneybrook. Gwen looked over at us, her eyes worried and made a soft, but audible concerned sound.   
"With the world going the way it is, Rachel, you need to look out for your daughters," Gwen went on. "It was bad enough back in the early eighties when you helped that girl win that case so she could get an abortion without her folks' permission...look what happened, how they got back at you." All of us looked over at Mom's right hand.   
"Yes...the snakebite..." Mom peered at her hand. It has a very, very faint scar in the back. Mom had told us about that incident. It was a few years before we were born and Mom, who works in a publishing firm, was hearing about this article about a fifteen-year-old girl who was seeking an abortion, but at first the court insisted that she had to get her parents' permission. Well, these parents were staunch conservative "born-again Christians" and were violently opposed to abortion and birth control. Mom helped the girl find a good lawyer and won the case. A group of anti-choice terrorists heard about this case and picketed outside the clinic. They'd seen Mom, I guess and found out where she was living at the time and after the case was won, they were out for blood, so one of them sneaked a poisonous snake into Mom's mailbox and when Mom reached in to get her mail, it had bit her hand. Luckily Mom's friend had gotten her to the hospital quickly! Mom had had to wear a bandage for several months, then had a deep purple scar for many years. By the time the scar had started to fade, she and Dad had met and were getting ready to get married. It took a few years, but by the time Anna and I were toddlers, Mom's scar was hardly visible, thanks to a competent doctor who treated the bite.   
"There's always a risk in almost anything," Gram put in. She reached out and stroked Mom's hand.   
"I think it was you and Dad who gave me the courage to stand up for my beliefs," Mom told her. "I remember you always let me think things for myself."   
"I wonder whatever happened to that friend you had back in eighth and ninth grade?" Grandpa asked.   
"I remember her, I think." Gram nodded. "We were in a prim neighborhood in New Jersey. I think her name was Patricia and her family didn't really approve of us."   
"I remember her," Mom sipped the last of her tea. "Her family moved after tenth grade. I wonder if it was partly us. Of course, her mom claimed it was her dad's job promotion."   
"You were really heartbroken when she moved," Gram added. "She promised to write and give you her address, but she never did, did she?"   
"No," Mom shook her head. "I suspect...her parents had something to do with it."   
"Wow, that's awful," I gasped. "Like they wouldn't let her write to you?"   
"I think so," Mom said sadly. "I really missed her and waited for over a year to hear from her. When she told me she had to move, I hoped she'd have her new address, but she didn't. Her parents moved without giving her the new address and that was the last I heard from her. I wonder where she is now?"   
"Oh, that's too bad," I said. Poor Mom. Poor Patricia, whoever she was. I wished I had an idea of where she was, so I could somehow get the two back together again. As dessert wound down, I was feeling thankful that I had someone like Mom for my mother and that I had Anna as well. I still often missed Dad, but I'm thankful for having had him in my life. 


	12. Class Trip Trouble

**The BSC Legacy - Book 1: Brave New World of High School**

_By_: CNJ 

_PG-13_

**12: Class Trip Trouble**

  


**Mary Anne**: 

That Tuesday after we got back from Thanksgiving, all the ninth-grade physical science classes went on the field trip to the Planetarium that Ms. Quebec had been talking about for over a month. Most of the BSC sat together on the bus. Logan and I had apologized that Monday after Thanksgiving for our tiff last week. We both acted like idiots; he shouldn't have gotten so jealous and rude and I shouldn't have told him to go to hell. Logan told me that he, his dad and his brother, Hunter had gotten into a fight the Wednesday before Thanksgiving on the way down to Kentucky.   
"Kind of like us," I said.   
"You got into a fight?" Logan asked.   
"More like my dad and grandmother..." I told him a little about the argument between Dad and Grandma and how I'd gotten so upset that I'd started to cry and told them both to grow up. "...and so they did."   


**Logan**: 

I told Mary Anne a little bit about our family fight, but didn't tell her about the really embarrassing part...Hunter and I were arguing in the car on the drive down to Kentucky mainly because Hunter was being a pain in the butt as usual and throwing gum wrappers in my direction. I kept telling him to cut it out and Hunter whined that it was an "accident" with the wind blowing and anyway, he didn't have enough room on his side and I told him to just grow up and hold his junk on his lap. Hunter retorted some smart comment at me and I got mad enough to tell Hunter to shut up. I guess that got Dad annoyed enough to pull over to the curb. Oh, this is so humiliating...Dad had gotten out of the car, yanking my brother and me out of the car, grabbing each of us by one arm and then had swatted both of us on our rear ends like we were little kids! I'm almost fifteen, not five! I'd spent the rest of that Thanksgiving weekend fuming at Dad. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

**Kristy**: 

Our class trip to the Planetarium was interesting...in several ways. The ninth grade got a big tour by one of the guides, then we were allowed to separate and explore around as long as we met back by the mural of Saturn by two. At first the BSC wandered around together, then we sort of branched out but stayed in proximity. Stacey especially was fascinated by the darkroom with realistic-looking planets hanging from the ceiling.   
"You can tell the planets from regular sights because they don't glitter," Stacey told us. "Stars have that heat."   
"Isn't it intriguing how that heat can make something so pretty?" Mary Anne added. "There're all in different stages, like humans."   
"Maybe when I get my own place, I'd love to paint that on my ceiling with day-glo paint," Claudia put in. We stood quietly for a long minute. Then I looked at my watch.   
"It's just about time to head downstairs," I announced. Reluctantly, we edged out of the room, all of us wishing we could stay there all afternoon. As we headed down the hallway, there was a huge commotion near the bathrooms and Alan Gray was shoved out the door and he plopped on the floor, screaming, "SHIIIIIIT!" at the top of his lungs. A bunch of kids were yelling, cursing, and shoving as if they were at the New York stock market on a bad day. To make matters worse, ketchup and mustard was dangling all over the railways and doorframes. There was even some splatted on the wall.   
"We'd better stay away," Mary Anne whispered, her brows taut with worry.   
"Good idea," I nodded. "Wherever there's Alan Gray, there's trouble."   
"And Cokie Mason," Abby added as we rushed past them and down the escalator. I looked back and sure enough, Cokie was there hanging on to the door of the men's room by her arm and squirting Randy Greenhold with mustard from a bottle. Once we got to the mural on the lower floor, we and the other kids who were there watched from the bottom as security guard finally saw them and stormed up.   
"Alllll right, kids, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!" one yelled. Just then, ketchup squirted the ceiling.   
"Oooops..." Randy Greenhold muttered as one of the guards glared at him.   
"_Oops_ is right!" she barked. "Just where are your parents...teachers?" The kids there went completely quiet.   
"I hate trouble," Mary Anne whispered. She was trembling a little and had a worried, nervous frown on her face. "I hope they don't end up in juvenile hall."   
"It would serve those assholes right if they did," I whispered back. It seems as if most of the "popular" clique were in on this mess. By "popular," I don't mean well-liked, but it's where the snobby kids try to butter them up. Cokie Mason seems to be a wanna-be in that crowd, but they keep her on the fringes. I just hope they doesn't wreck things for all of us freshmen. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

It was a good thing we did stay away. We got back to school and word got back to Ms. Silverbein, our principal. The day after the trip, Alan, Cokie and the rest of the gang were called into Ms. Silverbein's office. I was sooo glad they didn't get our whole class in trouble. I've seen too many deals like that...a few kids cause trouble and the whole class is punished. Ms. Silverbein knows better; she just weeded out the troublemakers. No, they didn't get sent to juvenile hall, as Mary Anne had so feared, but from what I heard, their parents were called and they had detention for a week. And also, Ms. Silverbein personally contacted the planetarium, apologizing for their actions and sent them to clean up the mess that they'd made on Saturday morning. I suspected Ms. Silverbein was really embarrassed. I doubted the firm lecture they'd gotten would have fried on Alan or Cokie's minds, but it was good that they'd paid somehow. Alan scowled the rest of that week and muttered about _that fat bag_ while Cokie stayed slumped down on her desk.   
"Heeeey, Grace!" Cokie called as she sat by her locker that Thursday afternoon between classes. Grace just walked by her. I was getting some books out too, across the hall from Cokie, so I could see and hear what went on. "C'mon, I know you hear me, so don't play deaf, you idiot!" Cokie screamed after Grace.   
"You're the idiot..." Grace muttered, glancing coolly at her. "You're the one who wrecked that stupid field trip for all of us."   
"Yeah, thanks for the reminder," Cokie snarled sarcastically, standing up and slamming her locker. "That was Alan and Randy's fault...they shoved me into the mens' room and Alan stole that junk from the cafeteria. But does Silverbein hear my side? NOOOO! She blames me too! She probably can hardly see around her nose which is the size of the Statue of Liberty..."Grace turned and continued down the hall, shutting her out. Good for her, I thought, closing my locker. Cokie then saw me and glared. Then she muttered, "...listening in on other people's conversations; that annoys me..." and stormed down the hall. I headed to my own class, getting there just as the bell rang. I got the feeling it was the beginning of the end of Cokie and Grace's friendship. Good, maybe Grace was wising up. I just hoped the clique didn't cause more trouble. 


End file.
